Topic: Games you've recently beat

@Tjuz I'm going to have to refer to the game, as I don't remember which decisions it considers "big", but most recently, in episode 4, I added Waterboy to the team and saw a movie with Invisigal. If I remember it, I'll post a summary of my choices (within a huge spoiler block) when I'm all done with the game and we can compare and discuss

Finished my first playthrough of Dispatch. Even within the context of its genre, I never found this particularly fun to actually play (they give you the option to disable the QTEs entirely, but this seems to just mean you default to the fail state each time, like you left them on and just didn't press anything, - don't really get the point of that?)

It is also much shorter than these sorts of games usually are (think I beat it in about 7 hours). That is meant less as a negative, or a positive, and just more of a general statement as I know length as a metric of value worthiness is applied by some (I kinda feel the opposite, where a game being 40+ hours is usually something that puts me off).

Although if I was to spin this in a negative or positive direction, I would argue some of the later chapters do feel a little rushed not so much so to ruin things in the moment, but it is just more on reflection now as I write this and think of the twists and turns, heel and face turns, sorted piled on top of each other, never given much room to breathe or allow us to process it, like a lot of it really didn't hit like I think it was meant to, as I wasn't even given a second to understand what was really going on before it moved on.

But then maybe I just feel that short run time more, because it is one of the few games I've played in the last few years where I could actually do with more, that I wasn't glad it was finally over after slogging through the final stretch. It is a testament to the exceptional acting, the writing, the characters, the visuals, basically every other part of this was so exceptional that I was willing to put God mode on and grit my teeth through those annoying hacking objectives.

Maybe I am wrong, but based on my read of my first playthrough, I can only really see two paths through this game, with sprinklings of different seasoning that don't ultimately alter the trajectory of things, but I enjoyed this enough and see enough windows for variance that I will probably run through this again in the new year and make some different choices.

Not sure where this ranks in this genre of gaming, but it is definitely one of the things I have enjoyed playing the most this year. It isn't going to topple giants for me like Expedition 33 or Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, maybe not even above something like Avowed either, but I'd feel really good about slotting those behind those.

I've kind of been conditioned to expect that these games have very little meaningful branching narratives, basically serving up the same critical path with some minor changes reflecting your choices, so much so that I've stopped replaying them once finished. I wonder what, if anything, I've missed because of that.
Would love to hear if you find a second playthrough offers up any meaningful differences (ideally without spoiling anything, if possible, of course). This one I might actually play through a second time either way, though. While I'm only half way through (finished ep. 4) I am truly in love with the animation, story, voice acting and character work and I don't see them burning out for me in the second half.

@FuriousMachine Maybe I am wrong, because some of the Telltale games I've played in my life, I have probably not played for like over a decade, so it is all so fuzzy, but I feel like if you put them into a big pile, they all offered more variance pound for pound than this appears to (at least based on one playthrough, maybe playing through it again will be different).

I guess this puts it closer to a Life is Strange, than a Telltale or a Supermassive title, built around a small handful of big choices that put you on path A or B, and then smaller flavour choices along the way.

Not really a criticism as much as it is just an observation, coupled with the shortish run time, one may hope a shorter game like this would offer more additional branching to promote multiple playthroughs to get to a more traditionally expected number of play hours, but I kinda feel two playthroughs of this is gonna show you almost everything, but who knows.

Just finished Alan Wake II on PS5 after about 26 hours. It's an okay game. I don't understand all the praise it got back in 2023.

It takes 10 hours before the actual gameplay kicks in. The pacing is terrible as you're frequently interrupted to go into the menus in order to make deductions or profiling. The actual gameplay (shooting, inventory management) is good but there are moments where the game throws too many enemies at you at once, which doesn't work well for a slow survival horror game. The story is a convoluted mess, although there were a lot of cool moments as well as compelling settings typical for a horror experience.

The worst of all is that the game drags on for far too long. I've played long horror games, such as Resident Evil 4 and The Evil Within, which were fine because they had a good pacing. But the pacing in Alan Wake II was just terrible. Even the ending dragged on for too long.

I mean, the first Alan Wake was around 10 hours long, which worked out great for it. But around 25 hours is ridiculous.

I'm glad that I didn't buy the DLC and I'm glad that I didn't buy the game either. I would've been disappointed if I'd paid €50 for it. But I'm content with having experienced it.

@Werehog @Thrillho Happy to help pass the game along! I don't think they need me, since it seems to be a gigantic sales hit, but I'll take the wins where I can get it. Let me know when both of you start the game! I"d love to hear your thoughts when you eventually get to it.

@FuriousMachine It seems like you're on the same path as myself so far! I made both of those decisions as well. Wonder if we'll start to diverge eventually or if we'll just be two peas in the same pod. Do let me know when you've finished it!

@Pizzamorg Good to see another fan! I totally echo your thoughts in terms of how the finale felt a bit rushed with certain developments, and I think they should've paid more attention to that to let it play out with more breathing room. I still don't fully understand what one of the big twists actually means in the overall narrative previous to that episode and what the ramifications of that were, but they still managed to hit the landing well enough on it just simply through the performances, I'd say.

I do think that the variances they give you here throughout the story feel meaningful enough to me to matter. Stuff like choosing Waterboy/Phenomaman, cutting Coupé/Sonar, dating Invisigal/Blonde Blazer, revealing you're MechaMan/not. I would say at least the third three really create a different experience where characters basically are or aren't present throughout most of it. It might not necessarily influence the big plot points, but I'd go beyond calling it just flavour with how important the team dynamics are to your investment in the game. It's more than I'd usually except from any Telltale-type narrative adventure. Even more impressive to me that they did it in this game, where I'm certain the animations were way more time-consuming and expensive to create rather than your typical in-engine cutscenes.

@LtSarge I just finished it myself last month for spooky season, and I can't say I necessarily disagree with any of your points. The pacing remains a mess much like the original, but I found it probably helped me that I looked up beforehand what the ideal way to progress through the game was in terms of chapters. Did you do the same? It made sure that the narrative-heavy and combat-heavy and chapters were fairly evenly spaced out and the story unraveled in what felt like a logically linear manner to me. Or well, as logical as it can be with how convoluted and all over the place it ultimately is. Despite that, I did find myself invested in uncovering it, so I think I had a better time with it overall than you did.

I would argue, as I have before, that I actually wasn't a big fan of the gameplay here. I thought the combat encounters and certain enemies were quite poorly designed. It would flood you with many enemies too often for a combat system that clearly is centered more around taking it slow and steady and not made for high-energy shooting around. The wolves for example, with their highly agile movement, I found incredibly frustrating to deal with (until I realised that two crossbow shots take care of them). I also think the "shining your light on enemies to make them disappear" in Alan's sections got old reaaal fast, but I couldn't justify just attacking all of them either since the amount of ammunition you receive can be fairly tight. I felt forced into actively using that mechanic, which just felt like a slow, unnecessary time-waste.

I think it ultimately did stick the landing with its ending, but it does take a remarkably long time to get there. Some sections could've easily been cut down or removed entirely and replaced with something faster-paced. Something like the cinema level later on in Alan Wake's campaign felt like a total drag to me. I actually did buy the Premium Edition a few years ago, so I played it with the DLC integrated into the main campaign. I think you might actually appreciate the Night Springs DLC, since it's three shorter 45-60 minute scenarios with different protagonists doing experimental, fun stuff. If you're at all into the world of Alan Wake, I imagine you might've enjoyed those more bite-sized quick stories over the long drawn-out main campaign. The other one I'd only say is worth it if you really enjoyed Control, which I'm not sure if you have any attachment to that game.

Side note: I actually just downloaded The Evil Within as my next up horror title, but I had no clue that it is of equal length. I'll have to buckle up for that!

@Tjuz I assume you are talking about Visi being Shroud's agent the entire time, right? I was like... huuuuh?! And the game doesn't even really react to it at all. There are some scenes which on first glance make almost zero sense too with that in mind, like the entire boat sequence and what happens afterwards. But even smaller moments like how proud she was she didn't get cut, there was no audience for that she was aware of, so like what is the goal here? I dunno, maybe it'll take an entire playthrough to really see how this works when you have this info going into every scene

@LtSarge @Tjuz I feel much the same way as both of you about Alan Wake II. My experience was wildly uneven, where I’d absolutely love certain aspects of it while simultaneously being incredibly frustrated by so many others. I think this disparity has to be why my feelings are still so strong after all this time. I do respect that they did something different with the sequel but I think the fact that there’s so much going on in it really hurts the overall experience. Survival horror in particular lives or dies by its scenario design and balance, the two weakest aspects for me of AWII.

I’d love to hear both of your thoughts on Cronos if you ever get around to playing it, as it’s like this game’s antithesis. One feels like a big fancy meal with all of the expensive spices and garnishes aimlessly thrown in to shock and awe and impress while the other is confidently balanced with simple, raw ingredients and expertly cooked to perfection. One left me wanting while the other left me deeply satisfied.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Evil Within @Tjuz as despite being very rough around the edges and a little slow to find its footing, I was very glad to have stuck with it, and the sequel is a fascinating evolution. Also, think you’ve convinced me to give Dispatch a go!

@Pizzamorg Yeah! That's totally the moment I was referring to. I can imagine that she was conflicted throughout a lot of that time, and that that might explain some of the different types of reactions she'd had in the game... but that whole twist just felt very odd. There were also so many theories going around between episode 6 and 7 that there must be a mole in the Z-Team leading to the all the villains within 20 Wendy's of the Astral Pulse going after it simultaneously and that was also just never addressed. Are we saying Invisigal informed Shroud of it or something, but then why did she keep it from him ultimately? What kind of impact did her playing both sides even realistically have in any of the events in the game? What did she actually bring Shroud that was of any value to the point where she remained in the fold in the finale? It's just a lot of questions that we can really either only look at as inexplicable plot holes, or could've been ironed out given more time. Now the reveal just fell flat sadly, and like you said, the game barely even brings it up after it happens. Why is allowing Coupé/Sonar back on the team one of the major end-game choices when we have a person who straight-up betrayed us sitting there? Like... I love me some Invisigal, but the way her arc went in the final episode was just highly confusing more than anything.

@Metonymy I'm surprised so many of us seemed to have had a very similar experience with it! I'd always seen Alan Wake II as one of the darlings of this console generation, so I wouldn't have expected so many of us to land in the same space. I think you hit the nail on the head in that it's simply just not very good survival horror, and I'd add it actively seems opposed to being that genre despite advertising itself as such. It really feels more like an adventure game masquerading as something more mechanically complex, which only let it down in some key areas. I'm lucky I found the narrative engaging enough, or else I think it would've been a complete miss.

Your positive comparison of Cronos to it just makes me all the more intrigued! Not that I wasn't already sold by your earlier posts. I'm definitely still craving survival horror, so I'm sure it's just a matter of when for when I'll get to it. Maybe after The Evil Within, since I already own that one! I'll be sure to let you know what I think of both. I have heard the sequel is a good improvement on the first, but no harm in starting with the first and see if I gel with it already there! Do make sure to let me know what you think of Dispatch when you get to it!

Loop8: Summer Of Gods

This has a 2.61/5 out of 188 ratings on the PSN store (When nearly everything is typically above a 4 from what I've seen).

It got mostly 5's, 4's and 3's review score wise.

I spent £4.99 on this.

I finished it out of spite when I should've been playing Crow Country.

I may pick the ol' (digital) pencil back up and write a very scathing review akin to the one I gave Star Ocean 4... The one that I tore to utter pieces.

_{You've been warned.}

It's more "games that have recently beat you" but I'm finally done with Hollow Knight: Silksong.

The game does so much so well with the combat feeling great and a wonderful sense of exploration like the first game. I liked that Hornet actually has a voice as well to give her more character and the side quests ("wishes") were a nice addition to give some direction to extra content.

But the game is just relentless. One guide said there were over 40 bosses which is just excessive really, particularly when many still have run backs from a bench before you can fight them again (a particularly weird decision when a few in the late game respawn you straight outside the fight area and with your tools replenished), while some others have a gauntlet of small enemies that need beating first each time.

I got a fair distance into Act 3 having beaten 2/3 of the bosses for their hearts but one area was just another gauntlet of enemies and by that point I was so jaded with spending hour after hour trying to beat the bosses that I'd had enough and hadn't actually been enjoying the game for a week or two.

So a wonderful game but it feels like a weight has been lifted now I've finally given up. I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't see a game through to the end.

@Thrillho Did you have the same issues with the first game in that the game was just too packed with content? As far as I'm aware from my friend who's played it, the amount of bosses in each is rather similar, but I can imagine the sequel maybe ''feels'' like more just with the map being so much bigger. And more of a pain in the butt to navigate when you inevitably die during a boss and need to find your way back! Sorry to hear that you couldn't push through it in the end, but I'm glad you still enjoyed what you did play for the most part. Getting that far into it, I assume you still logged quite a few hours on it, so it hardly sounds like lost time, money or effort! Surprised to hear that it's been a while since you felt you had to give up on a game though! Is that just because you're usually very precise in terms of what you know you'll like that you're never disappointed? Or is it more a case of you seeing a game through even when not enjoying it usually?

Super Neptunia RPG (PS4)

Absolutely loved it. The battle system was different and interesting. I Spent a solid 40 hours on it and even got the platinum trophy (I got 100% trophies, but I still didn't 100% the actual game). I recommend it for anyone who likes action JRPGs, or just JRPGs in general. Unfortunately, the PS4 version is slightly censored (I knew about this before playing and only accepted it because it was just a little bit, but this is a nitpick of mine), so I recommend the uncensored Switch, Steam, or GOG versions more.

The overall verdict: actual game 10/10, PS4 version 8/10

Finished Tomb Raider 2. It’s probably not quite as good as the first one in all honesty. The combat is a bit overkill and there aren’t as many iconic levels. I still have no idea about why Floating Islands is a level, the FMV beforehand just does not explain it. I still love that final level in Lara’s house though. And the Venice levels are brilliant. The soundtrack is also a bit better. Onto Golden Mask now!

@nessisonett "Ah ha!" Agreed on all points! The incessant combat is what drags TR2 down a peg for me (although I do appreciate the shift away from killing wild animals) and the build-up to its ending was very clearly rushed (although I do love the dragon boss). Feels very much what a mid-90s sequel was always gonna be destined to be, especially one turned around in less than a year. But you're right, the Venice violins, skidoo, and final boss music tracks are all bangers!

@Werehog Golden Mask’s actually been very good so far. The first two levels felt like Chronicles levels from the Russia section, which I actually really enjoyed even if there’s still too much combat for my liking. The 3rd level, which I’m on now, is a cool mix between a tomb from the first game and the more abstract environments from Atlantis.

@Tjuz No, I didn't look up the best way to play through the chapters. But yeah, I was surprised that some chapters lasted numerous hours while others only minutes. I would've much preferred a linear progression here.

I enjoyed the combat but like you said, there would be a lot of moments where the game throws too many enemies at you at once. Not to mention that some enemies would dash all over the place and throw axes at you over and over. It just doesn't work for a game that's supposed to be a survival horror experience where you typically are expected to take things slow.

I'm glad you brought up Control because I absolutely loved that game! Fun gameplay, trippy story, the overall package was just superb. I tend to enjoy Remedy's games, like Alan Wake, Quantum Break, Control and so on. But Alan Wake II deviated too much from their typical formula of telling a concise story with fun gameplay. I even played through Control's DLCs because I enjoyed the game that much. But I don't think I'll be checking out Alan Wake II's DLCs, unfortunately. I just feel done with that game now.

The Evil Within is a great game! It's not as long as Alan Wake II but it's around the same length as RE4, putting it up there as one of the longer horror games. Hope you'll enjoy it!

@Metonymy Completely agree with you!

I actually wanted to buy Cronos at launch as well as many other releases this year, but I just didn't have much time to play games in general this year so I abstained. It does look really cool and I'm one of the few who enjoyed Bloober Team's games, even the ones before the Silent Hill 2 remake. So I'm very much looking forward to playing this one when the time is right!

@LtSarge Ugh, don't remind me of those axe-throwing maniacs! They had the same problem as the wolves with just being way too hyperactive to deal with efficiently. The fact you have to flashlight them first while avoiding every axe to even productively use your ammo.. sigh. I've heard only good things about Control from everyone on here, so I will have to give it a proper shot eventually. Understandable you don't want to go back to play its Alan Wake II DLC though. If you'd like to know what happens that probably will tie into the sequel, the protagonist of the DLC finds Jesse's brother, Dylan, in some containment unit. If I remember right, she got somehow transported to somewhere in New York, and she's ultimately pushed away from this place by the... "evil spirits" (I don't know what the weird sounds and visuals are called in Control, haha) after a short conversation with him where you then just continue the DLC as is. Maybe just look the scene up on YouTube if you haven't already, since I'm sure with my lack of knowledge of that game I've done a piss-poor job of explaining it!

And thank you! Hope The Evil Within will be a good follow-up for my current survival horror obsession. I'll definitely post about it here when I do get to it.

New Super Lucky's Tale

Cutesy little platformer. Got a smidge annoyed at the abundant (and admittedly optional) block puzzle stages.

The gobbledegook language got a bit on my pip too. Mainly cus the va's used actual words half the time... So I don't know why they didn't just do actual dialogue like they do in the opening and ending.

Was a fun little and relatively short romp and a nice diversion after the abysmal experience I had with Loop8.

@Tjuz I don't remember it being such an issue in the first game but it's been a fair few years since playing it. Quite a few bosses in that were only in the Pantheons which I never completed.

Nightmare King Grimm was the one I remember causing me real trouble in that game and I'm not sure it would even make my top 5 of difficult bosses in Silksong

I played 55 hours altogether as I was planning on 100%ing the game. I do sometimes wonder if I ruin games for myself as I try to 100% or platinum rather than just enjoying them but once I'm done with a game I like to think I've done everything there is to do in it.

As for the last part of the question, I guess I tend to go into games knowing what to expect but I'm usually happy to stick shorter games out. I can't think of many I've played in the last few years that I haven't enjoyed other than FF7:Rebirth which had so much padding that I actively hated the game by the end (again, playing it as though I was going to go for the platinum but couldn't face having to play the whole thing again once I'd finished it for the first time).